#Covid-19 lockdown

Calcutta High Court rules that Covid-19 lockdown qualifies as force majeure under mining lease agreements, mandating lease period extensions. The judgment reinforces that administrative restrictions cannot override contractual rights to lease prolongation, impacting lessees across public-private mining contracts.

The Jharkhand High Court has ruled that delays in filing restoration applications due to Covid-19 lockdowns, even after the Supreme Court’s 90-day limitation waiver, can still be condoned if the delay is demonstrably attributable to pandemic disruptions. This sets a critical precedent for litigants facing systemic access-to-justice barriers during public emergencies, reinforcing that procedural rigidity must yield to substantive fairness when external forces prevent timely filings.